“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” implies that the decision is up to the individual being asked. It’s a straight-forward request. And it indicates a willingness on the part of the person asking, to be your neighbor to begin with.

I was not one of those who tuned in to watch “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” When its telecast began, I was a senior in high school. By the time my son was born in 1993, we were watching “Thomas The Tank Engine” on television.

Several friends who grew up watching “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” accompanied me to a recent screening. Here are some of their reactions during a discussion afterward at a neighborhood ice-cream parlor.

“I grew up on it,” said Michael Gontkosky of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

“It brought back a lot of memories,” Gontkosky said of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

“I never realized how diverse his subject matter was,” said Jill Parker. “In my house, it gave me a real good sense of what was right.”

“I did watch it with my daughter,” said Ella Vaysman. “I’ll tell her to definitely see it.”

“I watched it,” Nancy D’Annibale West said of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.” “I thought it [the documentary film] was an excellent summation of his shows. My whole life philosophy is to pray about what is the right thing to do. He was way ahead of his time in being open and loving toward everyone. His moral was that love is the greatest healer. He was humility personified.”

“I really like the movie,” said Jane Landis. “I never knew about the public broadcast funding hearing. He used gentleness, kindness and love, just the way he interacted with the children, with the chairman of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communication to get the $20 mllion.”

The documentary film, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” not only revisits the television show with clips from show telecasts and archive footage of the era when the television show was broadcast, but takes us behind-the-scenes with interviews with those who were on the show, those who helped produce the show, and with Fred Rogers and his wife, Joanne Rogers, and their two sons. There are also media pundits, including Susan Stamberg of NPR fame, and television critic David Bianculli. Classical music cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who performed on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” performs a Bach cello piece.

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” is a fascinating glimpse into the genesis and making of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood,” the sociological influences of the show, and the personality of Fred Rogers, the life-long Republican and Presybyterian minister who turned a television show into a television ministry, with not-so-veiled parables that recall Biblical teachings, including Jesus washing of feet as Fred Rogers did with Francois Clemmons, who played Officer Clemmons on the TV show, starting in 1968, the first African-American man to be a regular on a children’s television show.

The documentary film traces Rogers’ interest in the ministry and in televison, dating to the early days of public television. Rogers, a Latrobe, Westmoreland County, native, retained the droll, soft-spoken, kindly presence throughout his career, on his televison show, and in public speaking engagements.

The film is touching, emotionally-moving and funny. You can’t believe that anyone could be as nice, considerate and thoughful as Fred Rogers, but, apparently he was, whether putting on his cardigan sweater, tieing the laces of his sneakers, playing the piano and singing, or talking with, and listening to, the young guests on his television show.

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” is directed by Morgan Neville, who received a documentary feature Oscar for the superb “20 Feet From Stardom,” 2014, and directed “Keith Richards: Under The Influence,” 2015; “The Music Of Strangers,” 2015; “Best Of Enemies: Gore Versus Vidal,” 2015: “Troubadours,” 2011, and “Johnny Cash’s America,” 2008.

Look for a documentary feature Oscar nomination for “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” which will likely be up against another frontrunner, “RBG,” the documentary about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” MPAA Rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Parents are urged to be cautious. Some material may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers.) for some thematic elements and language; Genre: Documentary, Biography; Run Time: 1 hr. 34 mins. Distributed by Focus Features.

Credit Readers Anonymous: In “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” Fred Rogers says he maintained his weight at 143 pounds, which represents the numbers of the letters in “I Love You.”

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